McCarthy calls on Shinseki to resign

House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy, the No. 3 House Republican, on Thursday called on Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign.

The California lawmaker is the first House Republican leader to call on the embattled former general to step down in the wake of allegations that veterans were mistreated at some of the nation’s hospitals.

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“General Shinseki, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, has served his country with honor and integrity,” McCarthy said in a statement. “No one doubts his dedication to our nation’s veterans. However, the current state of the VA is wholly unacceptable and has become a national embarrassment — it requires immediate action. I believe new leadership at the Department of Veterans Affairs is imperative to fixing the wrong that this massive bureaucracy has done to the men and women we owe so much to. Therefore, today, I call on General Shinseki to do what is right and step aside as Secretary effective immediately.”